Behind Broken Wings
by Celestial Skies
Summary: An angel is never supposed to fall in love with a human - after all, the laws can be anything from painful, to breathtaking. -NxR- -KxS- two sided story put into one.
1. Overture

Behind Broken Wings

_**Overture **_

"Why... why would you want that?!" His anger infiltrated her mind, crossing and turning through her body until it finally reached her face. **Fear.** She sprung backwards, quickly brushing hair away from her face so she could see for any attacks. Though really, she didn't want to see him - at all. Grimacing, the auburn haired girl leaned closer to the edge; her back and her wings facing the clouds below.

_The Sanctuary._ She ran over the name in her head, deciding that the name didn't fit and probably never would.

She reclined backwards slightly, feeling small drafts of wind brushing her skin. She closed her eyes, trying to ignore the dread within her but it was no use, it just kept rising. The silver haired man in front of her – the man she once trusted with her life – looked as though he would swipe at any moment. It was then that she wished that her kind were immortal, never to wither and die. Though she could die, and it might happen much sooner then expected. She frowned, figuring that if she was going to disappear... she'd rather do it down there.

"Well?!" He roared again, now bearing a weapon. She lifted her head back up, sighing in disapproval. She caught sight of his blade and silently gasped, her light cerulean eyes scanned it carefully before making contact with his face and looking away.

She murmured, "Because suffocation is something no-one can do forever," and smiled hopefully, feeling proud of her decision. No matter what the cost.

Her once trusted friend burned his eyes at her, tightening his grip on the Keyblade helm. "Then maybe you should just go to sleep-" He cut himself off and charged forwards, a look of insanity stripped across his being. It all happened so fast that he couldn't even react himself. His blade sliced through her soft skin, tearing through the pure lux feathers which were her only protection.

Within moments, she was gone and he just stared after her, dropping his weapon to the floor as it shattered into small pieces of light. His mind ran numb. _No..._

Dark crimson tangled with the light red of her hair. _Blood,_ She thought, no longer smiling. The air began to whip around her as she ever so gradually fell from the sky above.


	2. 1 Bound to Earth

**Chapter 1**

_- Bound to earth -_

_Sora x Kairi_

_Romance/Fantasy_

Rated T

-x-

**Authors note**. Yes! We have finally started! So, our joint project... is basically two stories. Why two stories in one fan-fiction? Because the stories are linked, and both are supposed to be happening at the same time - SoKai, Namixas, and _Beyond._ We hope you guys enjoy this story, and also hope you enjoy this chapter. As said, it's just getting started! Also as the story progresses, both of us hope it grows more appealing to you guys :]

P.S. Please don't mind any grammar errors - tried my best to do this chapter, but it was so complicated... -fails- & BTW! We want to thank Joyce for beta testing the first half of this chapter.

-x-

_Loud beeping, rushing footsteps, and unfamiliar voices echoed through his mind. It only made his head throb harder when he finally awoke, half-conscious. As he slowly tried to open his eyes, he found himself wincing when a bright light blinded his vision. He tried to move, but his entire body felt numb... _

_'Where... am I?' He thought, panicking. Breathing suddenly became difficult. When gasped out for air, someone placed a mask over his mouth to give him oxygen._

"_You'll be alright, son," An unfamiliar, yet comforting voice spoke. "We're taking you into the ER. We'll make sure you're aided A.S.A.P."_

_His vision finally started to adjust to the white walls of the hospital. His questioning eyes met with the man who kept the oxygen mask on his face. The man started explaining the situation._

"_Someone found you lying in the middle of a street unconscious, and seeing how badly you were hurt, they contacted us immediately. We assume you were hit by a car. What's your name, son?" _

_The mask was pulled off from the brunettes face, allowing him to speak. Struggling, he managed to open his mouth to answer. The only words he could barely make out were,_

"_I... don't know..."_

_And that was the truth. He really couldn't give the man a specific answer, because he didn't really remember his own name. The boy's head ached as he tried his best to remember any of his recent or past memories. But there was nothing. He couldn't remember anything at all. _

_The man looked down to the boy, giving him a sympathetic look before turning to the other medics, who shook their heads in dismay as the mentioning of 'amnesia' came up. _

_[flash]_

The boy suddenly shot up into a sitting position, pressing a gloved hand to his forehead. He noticed some specks of sand that fell from the spikes of his hair. He had been sleeping on the sand for too long again, and having that memory that had occurred about a year ago as a _dream_ gave him a headache. He sat upon the beach's shoreline, his feet barely touching the small tide that hit up against the sand. Sora dug his fingers into the sand and took in a deep breath. Closing his eyes, he took a moment to feel the soft breeze that brushed against his skin. After he stretched out his arms and legs, he shook off more sand from his spiky hair and dusted himself off.

The brunette looked at his surroundings. The beautiful blue sea and the soft golden sand... this was his home. After a whole year of not knowing who he was since the hospital incident, he learned to live here by himself. Especially since the days where he stayed in the hospital for weeks, no one came in to claim him as a relative or anything of some sort. When he was released from the hospital, he figured that learning to be independent and to live on his own was his only option. After a while of not knowing his own name, a word eventually started to come into his mind. It was _Sora_. So he called himself that. He also kind of liked that name for some reason.

Sora's attention was drawn upwards, getting caught up in his own thoughts as he stared out to the cloudy sky. But he was suddenly distracted, when something unusual had caught his eye. A shimmering light from beyond the clouds had shot down with extreme speed, just right above Destiny Islands. It was bright and difficult for anyone to miss it. The soft colors of the sky around it vividly supported its beauty.

"A shooting star," Sora thought aloud, "At this time of day?"

He immediately stood up. His cerulean eyes captivated by its sight as it continued to fall through the sky. As it came closer to hitting the island, Sora realized that it couldn't have been a shooting star. His eyes widened, as he caught a better glimpse of it and it _definitely_ wasn't. Without any hesitation, Sora found himself sprinting towards its direction.

Its speed had decreased when it neared the islands. Within seconds, it hit the ground roughly, extreme force had blown at everything around it. Small particles of light exploded from its source, transforming into crimson stained feathers that once used to be pure white.

The spiky brunette finally neared the scene. He stopped dead in his tracks, clutching his chest as he hunched forward to gasp for air. He straightened himself and regained his posture. His eyes had widened when he finally looked back up, being able to examine the light more closely.

The intense rays of light that burned around its source finally began to dim, fading away... only to reveal a human figure. It appeared to be girl... who looked about his age. She had dark auburn hair that slightly passed her shoulders, and her eyes sparkled a lighter blue than his own. Her rosy cheeks and soft, lips were tinted a shade of pink. She would've looked like a _normal_ and ordinary teenage girl... that is, if you didn't include the fact that she also had angelic wings attached to her back...

Sora stood a short distance away, gaping in shock at the sight of the unusual girl. She wasn't normal. He was sure... she wasn't normal _at all_.

The brunette watched as the girl clutched onto her throbbing head, right before she fell onto her knees. As she did, it gave Sora a better view of her wings. He noticed that one of them, the right one, was bleeding badly. Drops of blood escaped from her lips too, staining onto the floor as she had coughed. Suddenly her petite frame fell forward, plopping down on the sand. Her wings fluttered behind her as she laid weak on her side and her eyes slowly began to close just as she fell unconscious.

Sora quickly ran over to her and crouched beside her fragile body.

"Hey!" he cried, worried, "Are you alright?" His eyes looked upon her peaceful face.

Sora hoped that she was okay. He waited for any sign of a response, but she remained motionless. He leaned closer and looked over her to get a good look at the wounded wing. He flinched when a sudden movement came from the girl.

"Who... are you?" She asked, as she slowly pushed herself up with weak arms. Sora's face lit up with relief knowing she was alive. When she looked up to him, their eyes had met.

"I'm Sora." He introduced. Sora stood up, placing his hands on his knees to support himself from falling forward. He looked down to her with a friendly smile and offered a hand.

The auburn was slightly intimidated. She looked at his hand, and then, back up his face to read his expression. For some reason, she felt like she could trust him. As she reached out to gently grab his offered hand, the sincere smile on his face brightened his features.

"I'm Kairi." She returned a small smile as she stood up and held onto Sora for support. Kairi staggered, but Sora held her from collapsing.

"You okay?" Sora asked. She nodded, as her head rested against his shoulder. He took a chance to peer over her to examine the large, opened wound on her wing.

"_Her wings..." _Sora thought to himself.

"_Angel wings... is she really an angel?_"

He suddenly became really curious.

"..._Do angels really exist?_"

Sora was too consumed in thoughts... He didn't realize when he accidentally brushed his fingers against the cut on her delicate wing. Kairi yelped in pain from his touch.

"Sorry!" He apologized, quickly pulling his hand away. The blush on his face tickled his cheeks, "I'm really sorry..."

Kairi turned her head to look over her own shoulder. Sora frowned when he saw water welding up at the edge of her eyes. Tears rolled down her cheeks after seeing blood on her damaged wing...

"It'll be alright," He comforted, "I can treat it for you. I have an aid-kit back in the shack, and I also know a few things about fixing opened wounds like that."

Kairi looked back over to Sora, her saddened expression on her face suddenly faded away.

"Really?" Her eye's lit up.

Sora nodded with an assuring smile. When a cute smile appeared on her face once again, he could swear that his heart skipped a beat. But the smile on his face didn't last, because he grew worried when she started coughing out excessively. Sora had caught her when she suddenly collapsed forward, into his arms, and drifted into unconsciousness again.

-x-

The auburn laid on her side on the soft surface, as her head was comfortably placed on a cozy padding. Shifting a bit, she felt a warm, soft material sheltering her body. She fidgeted, feeling a painful sting on the arm of her wing and it caused her eyes to fly open.

Kairi's eyes scanned around; seeing that she was in a small room with wooden designed walls, The room was so cramped that it made her feel as if she was a bird locked in a cage. She saw things she'd never seen before. Furniture, armaments, anything a person could have in their bedroom. The floor was a bit messy; clothing was scattered on the floor. She looked down to the small mattress she laid upon and to the pillow and blanket that kept her comfortable, peeking under to see that all the blood stains and dirt on her arms and legs were now cleaned off.

Sitting herself up to see if anyone was present, she felt the sudden sting in her annex limb again. She took a chance to glimpse back at where the pain had came from. Kairi let out a gasp... fear filtered her expression, when she saw a terrifying sight. Her previously wounded wing was now stitched up and tightly wrapped in a compress. She threw the blanket from herself and stumbled off the bed, falling onto the floor in panic. As she picked herself off the floor, she immediately ran out the opened door.

The bandages, the stitches, it all started to become undone as she fled towards the shore. Tears fell from her eyes as she cried from the vigorous pain on her broken wing. Her wings had never been tied down before... they were always released, open, and free, and it only anguished her to see one of her wings tightly restricted. She felt so overwhelmed.

"_Riku..._"

Kairi cried to herself, and reached out to the sky,

"I'm sorry..."

The spiky brunette had finally returned, holding onto freshly picked coconuts. He entered through the door of the shack while he hummed a song in his head out of boredom.

"Kairi?" He smiled as he spoke out her name, "You awake yet? How are you feeling-..."

Sora stopped when he realized that there was no one in the room. He put the subsistence down, trying to remain calm as he looked around for the missing angel. _Kairi... _Sora became worried as he noticed the small trail of blood outside. He followed the trail, which lead to the beach. As he looked up from the ground, he felt relieved when he found the auburn haired girl standing on the shore.

He dazed while watching her as the wind blew at her hair, and ruffled against her feathers... she was staring off into the distance, as if she was expecting something. But then, she faltered without Sora's support. Her knees pushed down into the sand from her weight as she knelt down. She coughed out a crimson substance again, this time, noticing it to be blood; her heart paced as she seen the blood dilate into the ocean's water.

"Kairi..."

Kairi slightly jumped, startled by the voice's sudden appearance. Her _unharmed_ wing had swung in reflex, accidentally swiping the boy who was standing behind her. A fresh line of blood trickled down his cheek, but his calm expression didn't leave his face.

"Sora!" Kairi recognized him as he almost fell back. She looked up to him, a glint of guilt showed in her eye's when she saw the fresh cut on his cheek from her defensive attack.

"I'm s-sorry. I th-thought you were..."

"Don't worry about it." Sora said, pleasantly. He regained his posture while holding a hand to his cheek,"You shouldn't run off like that... you really had me worried." He chuckled, a cheesy grin appeared on his face. Kairi's eyes widened, surprised by his concern.

Sora was stunned when he saw her unraveled wing that he had stitched up earlier. "Hey, your wing..." He knelt down beside her, examining her wound; then his hand reached out to caress her wing, but much more gentle than the first time he had touched it.

"Does it hurt?" he asked her. She wasn't sure if he meant from his touch, or from the pain she felt earlier... because honestly? she admired how he was touching her wing this time, it felt so gentle...

Kairi felt a sudden burn on her cheeks when his eyes locked with her own; she wondered if her face was really as red as it felt. When that friendly smile appeared on his face again... it made her feel at ease. Kairi shook her head, returning a weak smile, "No... not anymore."

-x-


	3. 2 A Blind Meeting

**Chapter 2**

_- A Blind Meeting -_

_Roxas x Naminé_

_Romance/Fantasy_

Rated T

-x-

Authors Note: Thank you, Kailee, for beta testing! :)

-x-

"Come on Roxas, FOCUS!" The crowd roared all around the stage, the same word engraving itself into his memory. _Focus_. Roxas squinted as another baton plummeted towards his shoulder; he dodged quickly, feeling the small vibrations when the attack collided with the ground. He grimaced and jumped away, watching his opponent waste time by cursing.

The blond's scorn turned into a grin. Seizing the moment, he leaped into the centre, guiding his mace towards the taller blond. Roxas swore as his attack was blocked; it hit with a hard _thump_, knocking both boys in opposite directions. Roxas smashed into the concrete head first with such force that even his spikes seemed to feel it. He winced in pain and reached for his weapon. It was no use, both his arms were dead.

He could briefly hear the crowd - his friends - shout, "Roxas! Get up!"

The boy struggled to pull himself back up but his chest suddenly ached as something slammed into it, pushing his back towards the ground once more. It was as if the surface had electrocuted him, coursing his mind into darkness. Everything was turning bleak and foggy; Roxas could feel his body giving way.

"Wake up, Loser. I want you at-least conscious for my moment of gloating," a voice called out, forcing Roxas to groan. He had thought in advance that this fight would be worth-while and that he could handle a few "Seifer-taunts," but Roxas had never pictured _losing_ to him. The spiky haired teen instantly felt shame.

"U-ugh..." Roxas mumbled, still trying to regain his posture. He ran his hand over his chest, trying to find where the pain was coming from; his eyes grew wide when he felt a boot press hard against his chest. Seifer was leaning over him, smirking evilly as he pressed his foot down harder onto Roxas' frame.

Roxas couldn't bear it. "G-get off!!" He yelped in pain, feeling a shock barging into him again.

As Seifer removed his boot from his chest, he instantly began gasping, hurting with each breath. When he looked up, he noticed Seifer being towed away by the referee. The teenager sighed inwardly, staring around the stage for his friends. He frowned vividly when they were no-where to be seen.

"Needing everyone's help to fight?! He is weak! As weak as they come!" Roxas shuddered as Seifer screamed out. He wasn't directing it at Roxas; he was broadcasting it to the world. Seifer was showcasing Roxas' fears.

_I shouldn't need anyone else to fight... so why do they always jump in and intervene? I don't always want them to get hurt! _He thought helplessly, cracking knuckles as his fists clenched.

The shuddering didn't cease even after Seifer had finished. Roxas suddenly felt a trembling within him; a gashing pain inside him. He fell to his knees, throwing his head down as his hair flew around him, soaked with sweat.

A voice called out, "Shut up, Seifer! You always turn these _fun_ events into bloodbaths!" and Roxas recognized it instantly. He turned his face around slowly, imagining how bleak he looked. Hayner stood in a goofy but impressive stance, the kind you'd see if he were to jump in front of Roxas. Though, he wouldn't jump in front. He wanted Roxas to win for himself and their two other friends in the sidelines – Pence and Olette. All three smiled at him. Roxas tried his best to smile back, forcing his legs to work so that he could stand. He hoisted himself up, smiling fully as he heard the crowd cheer.

The referee and host exchanged glances and the host turned to Roxas. He lifted the microphone and spoke enthusiastically, "Well, folks... the new-comer is up and we can get ready to-" He froze, scrutinizing his face strangely. Roxas tilted his head, noticing that the small man was fixated on the sky. He looked up himself as the rest of the audience mimicked. Awe filled the air.

_What... what is that...? _Roxas limped his arms, loosening the grip on his defence until it fell to the floor with a soft _swoosh_. He felt strangely at peace, almost as if... he had seen it before. Almost as if he knew what the captivating blast of beacon headed towards Destiny Islands was. An image flashed past his cobalt eyes quickly, catching the disorientated minor off guard. It was too blurry for him to make out. For a moment, he felt like he would give way; having no memories was even more of a burden when having something spark one. Clenching his fists, he sighed inwardly and looked at the ground instead.

The blond shook his head harshly. _Much too familiar. _

"Wow..." A voice murmured, startling Roxas. He turned to face her and sighed. She was so easily distracted and still staring at the sky.

"Olette," he groaned, finally attracting her eyes. "What are you-" He stopped abruptly, this time scaring Olette.

Olette studied him worriedly, "Roxas?"

Roxas wasn't listening. Olette would be lucky if he could even hear her words; he was too busy looking at the small blonde haired girl hiding behind her. Their eyes met, blue reacting with blue as Roxas could see a certain panic within hers.

_Did Olette not notice her? _He wondered.

Olette waved her hand in front of his face, annoyed. "Hello? Earth to Roxas?"

"Huh...?" Roxas murmured absently, still musing over the girl. He slowly reached towards her and she quickly backed away, frowning hard. Roxas shifted abruptly as everything else seemed to freeze around him, time twisting to a halt. The girl glowered at him for another moment before retreating from Olette's shadow and into the crowd.

The blond took after her, pushing carefully past the frozen crowd in the process, scared of knocking anyone over. Noticing the strange girl run into the opening, towards the stairs, he finally got a good look at her.

_Purity._

Her light blonde hair was complimented valiantly by a simple yet beautiful silk dress - completely white. On her feet were a pair of soft blue sandals which appeared to have two small clippings in the shape of wings.

"Wait!" He cried, turning the corner. Roxas slid to a halt when he found that she was nowhere in sight. He called, "Where are you?" and ran ahead, turning onto the main street. The shops were bleak and empty with all the lights out; everyone was still at the Struggle Tournament. As dusk approached, it became very hard to see. A speck of white flashed past his eyes, and squinting fast, he noticed the girl heading towards Sunset Hill. He immediately pushed forward again.

-x-

She pressed her hand against the wall, breathing heavily and gasping for air. "L-lost.. him..." She fluttered with relief. Hiding in the shadows, the girl felt slightly at ease. She could still feel the town's silent stares. Time had unfrozen moments after she retreated from the Sandlot, and they were all memorized by the entity. It was still falling rapidly from the sky, amazing her also. She glimpsed at it, letting her mouth loosen a little and fall open. She knew all too well what it was, and knew all too well that the fear growing inside her was real. _Very _real. As if by instinct, she moved away from the wall in a jaggedly, zombie-like way, moving into a centred position with the light.

She spoke clearly now, no longer gasping or whispering. She spoke confidently, and just in time for Roxas to peer around the corner – catching her in the act.

"_Kairi."_

Roxas' face puzzled as he scanned the word. _Kairi? Who was Kairi? _He thought.

The girl took a step towards the edge, staring at the object with which she was perfectly aligned. "Why are you falling? I don't understand... you're not supposed to-" She paused, startling Roxas. He gaped at her for a moment, suddenly feeling rather conspicuous. "- be here." She finished. Roxas wasn't sure if it was directed at _Kairi _or him.

The petite blonde started again, "Kairi... I'm so sorry; I'll come send you back." She began sobbing silently. Roxas suddenly felt the air lift around him, the familiarity again...

_What is this..._ He thought, gripping the edge of the wall lightly when something swirled past his eyes. It landed just in front of him, and – being the curious boy he is – he bent down to pick it up. His eyes shot wide as he looked at it, and almost found himself smiling. He twisted it around in his hand, shocked at how light somehow reflected from it so brilliantly so late in the day - and he noticed one other thing about it.

It was warm.

Roxas really did smile now, holding it closer. He hugged it against his heart, feeling aptitude flowing with its beat. The feather really was _something. _"Wow..."

"Huh?" A voice rang out, awakening Roxas from his trance. He immediately looked up, feeling the need to run. The girl was staring at him grimly. "Why are you following me?!"

"U-um... I... I can explain!" Roxas rambled, not convincing her. He stood up, trying to feel more confident.

The girls face seemed to smooth as she continued to watch him. Closely. "You followed me..."

Roxas' face fell. "Yes."

She frowned. "I see."

They seemed to simply observe each other for a while, shifting uncomfortably every so often. Roxas' view began to move away from her, and she noticed, mimicking his movement. As his cerulean eyes drifted upon the small water fountain a few metres away, fear shadowed him. His feet moved backwards slowly, as if someone or _thing_ was about to attack and kill him. The small girl looked at the reflection and back at him, and suddenly looked very close to crying.

"Don't go! Please... you're the first," she stammered, reaching out to him, "that can see..."

Roxas stopped in his tracks and tilted his head at her. Their eyes locked for a moment and he ceased moving altogether. The girl smiled a little and began pacing towards him. She was at reaching distance of him when she paused and giggled lightly, pulling a hand over her mouth to hide it.

"I'm sorry... I forgot to ask you your name." She wiped away the tears she shed moments ago and put on a sincere smile for him. Roxas hesitated, still staring at the mirror image in the water. "You can see them. You can see what no _human_ can - not even in a silly reflection."

Roxas placed a hand behind his spikes and flushed, his eyes still trying to unlock from hers. When she laughed, it only made him flush more. _Crazy__,_he thought. _She changed her personality so quick__ly__ just because I..__.__ I saw them?_

The girl flicked at her hair in a frustrated manner. "Well?" She ushered quietly.

"I'm Roxas," he mumbled, watching her reaction shift again.

"Roxas, huh?" She lost herself in thought for a moment, "Roxas. I actually wanted to meet you, at least once."

Roxas blinked twice. "Me?"

"Yes. You." She chorused, beaming.

The blond's eyes were no longer at wars with her. "And _you_ are?" He asked.

The petite blonde's eyes closed. She pressed one hand to her heart and began to hum a song. The song sounded familiar to Roxas but he didn't dare say it out loud. The atmosphere amended again and she half-opened her eyes and began to speak.

"_Angels In Flight."_

Roxas grimaced as a wind shoved past, almost sending him flying. His eyes closed to stop any dirt getting trapped inside and after a while, he became afraid to actually open them. His body began to strain as he fell to his knees.

"Roxas?" The girl's voice called. Roxas didn't need to hear her to know she was moving close to him, he could _feel_ her. The warmth. It comforted him. "Roxas, I'm sorry... I forgot that the laws won't let you see."

_Laws?_ He asked himself, curious. _So it__'s__ not just me being a coward? _

"You were able to see before... but that was an accident. I'm sorry if it scared you," she said, sounding sad.

Roxas shook his head and stood up, no longer caring about the pain. He tried to smile but wasn't sure if he was successful. "Don't be so sad. I'll see it sooner or later."

He heard a soft sigh and groaned. "You can open your eyes now."

He did was he was told and his eyelids flashed. The first thing he saw was the sky. The empty sky. "It's gone..." He mused quietly.

The girl answered abruptly, "Yes, she is." She was quite a distance away from Roxas, looking rather cheerless and confused. Roxas wanted to go and at least comfort her but a small voice in his head told him that that was a bad idea. They looked at each other again before she turned to leave. Roxas jumped; this time it was his turn to shout.

"Wait!"

"I can't. I have to go before it's too late," she answered simply, concealing all emotion. Her body began moving towards the stairs but Roxas rushed in front of her with an annoyed expression.

"Oh? Are you not interested in meeting me now?" he patronized.

Offence slashed across her face. "What are you talking about? We _did_ meet, and now that's over."

She tried to push past him but in the end he was much stronger. "Let me try and see your wings one more time. I can see them, I swear-"

"-Wings? Well, well, has the Witch committed _that_ offence? Oh my, how I would love to see how the punishments work." A voice chimed out from beyond them both, startling Roxas and scaring the girl. "Naminé, it's been a while."

_Naminé... so that__'__s her name._ Roxas thought, feeling his shirt getting tightly pulled back. He could tell that leaving that way was now the last thing on her mind. Instead, she cowered behind him, shaking violently.

He suddenly felt very angry. "Who are you? What did you do to her?!"

The man seemed amused as he stepped up to Roxas. His face was masked in a series of red fabrics, much similar to the long cloak he wore. He scowled at the blonde, casting a reflection in Roxas' eyes. Roxas remained perfectly still, with his arms still spread out – except now they were protection more than a wall. He breathed lightly and calmed down. "Who are you?"

The man chuckled madly and looked as if he had just heard the world's best joke. "Why, you've never heard of me? _She_ has! The rest of her kind have! Many people in this forsaken town have! And yet, the one boy who can see this Witch's wings hasn't?! This place truly is a disposable paradise for these insects!"

Roxas felt fear creep over him. This man was scary, and in the worst way possible. He distorted at the so-called "answer." Roxas twisted his head around to see Naminé; she could not stop her silent tears. The man's voice rang out again, attracting the teen's attention.

"You can call me D.i.Z. Also, if you must know, I am a researcher of The Sanctuary, and all the vermin who live or are even connected with the place." he glanced at Naminé, "Truly **disposable**."

Naminé retreated from Roxas' side - her tears were no longer silent, they were there for the world to see.

"Naminé!" Roxas called after her, ignoring D.i.Z's chortling. "Wait! Naminé!" He ran up the hill after her, scared for what she may do. _'Please... come back..__.__'_

-x-

Roxas chased her to the end of town, but she had disappeared. As he headed back to Sunset Hill for the third time, he noticed something different about it. Sitting alone on the bench was a single white feather. He picked it up and spun it, hoping for another light to appear, but nothing happened. The light had faded, and this feather was far from home.

_I want to meet you, _Roxas thought, walking to the edge of the hill, _at least __**more**__ th__a__n once._

He tossed the feather over the edge and it gracefully took to the sky.


End file.
